Geography of Aloria
Aloria occupies Artania's northwest corner, sharing borders with Dorvik, Kirlawa, Dundorf and Rutania. The Verranderlijke Ocean forms the north-west and south-west cost of the country. Aloria has five regions: Caermoel in the east, Gavonshire in the south-east, Cymertraeth in the south, Sildar in the west and Ultran in the north. Physiographic divisions Aloria has a varied topography. A broad, flat coastal plain lines the Verranderlijke Ocean shores from the Alorian-Rutanian border to the City of Vaca, and includes the Sumusulong peninsula. Areas further inland feature rolling hills and temperate forests, most notably Sildar Forest. The Yellow Mountains form a line of low mountains separating the western seaboard from the Midwest. Western Aloria contain subtropical forests and, near the Cymertraeth River Delta, mangrove wetlands, especially in Cymertraeth . Along the coast of the Sumusulong Penisula is a series of low mountain ranges known as the Sildarian Coast Ranges. Much of the Alorian Northeast coast is inhabited by some of the densest vegetation, as well as some very fertile valleys. East of the Yellow Mountains and the Kaunlaran River lies the Great Plains, also known as the Midwest. The Midwest, between the Kaunlaran River, Cymertraeth River and Ultran River, consist largely of rolling hills and productive farmland. A large portion of the country's agricultural products are grown in the Great Plains. Before their general conversion to farmland, the Great Plains were noted for their extensive grasslands, from tall grass prairie in the western plains to shor tgrass steppe in the eastern plains. Elevation rises gradually from less than a few hundred feet near the Kaunlaran River to more than a mile high in the east near the Verita River. ]] The Great Plains come to an abrupt end at the Kurmal Mountains. The Kurmal Mountains form a large portion of Eastern Aloria, entering from Dorvik and stretching to Dundorf. The Kurmal Mountains are a high, rugged, and dense mountain range. It contains the highest point of the country, Mount Belmore,(14,505 ft; 4,421 m). Climate Due to its northern location, Aloria has mostly a Humid Continental climate. Its comparatively generous climate contributed (in part) to the country's rise as an economic power, with infrequent severe drought in the major agricultural regions, a general lack of widespread flooding, and a mainly temperate climate that receives adequate precipitation. The main influence on Alorian weather is the polar jet stream, which brings in large low pressure systems from the northern Verranderlijke Ocean. The Sildar Coastal Range and Yellow Mountains pick up most of the moisture from these systems as they move eastward. Greatly diminished by the time they reach the Great Plains, much of the moisture has been sapped by the orographic effect as it is forced over several mountain ranges. However, once it moves over the Great Plains, uninterrupted flat land allows it to reorganize and can lead to major clashes of air masses. In addition, moisture from the Krentori River Delta is often drawn northward. When combined with a powerful jet stream, this can lead to violent thunderstorms, especially during spring and summer. Sometimes during late winter and spring these storms can combine with another low pressure system as they move up the North Coast and into the Verranderlijke Ocean, where they intensify rapidly. These storms often bring widespread, heavy snowfall in Ultran. The uninterrupted flat grasslands of the Ultran Plains also leads to some of the most extreme climate swings in the world. Temperatures can rise or drop rapidly and winds can be extreme, and the flow of heat waves or Arctic air masses often advance uninterrupted through the plains.